The present invention relates generally to processing of semiconductor devices, and specifically to methods and apparatus for removal of foreign particles and contaminants from solid-state surfaces, such as semiconductor wafers and lithography masks.
Removal of particles and contaminants from solid state surfaces is a matter of great concern in integrated circuit manufacture. This concern includes, but is not limited to, semiconductor wafers, printed circuit boards, component packaging, and the like. As the trend to miniaturize electronic devices and components continues, and critical dimensions of circuit features become ever smaller, the presence of even a minute foreign particle on a substrate wafer during processing can cause a fatal defect in the circuit. Similar concerns affect other elements used in the manufacturing process, such as masks and reticules.
Various methods are known in the art for stripping and cleaning foreign matter from the surfaces of wafers and masks, while avoiding damage to the surface itself. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,980,536, whose disclosure is incorporated herein by reference, describes a method and apparatus for removal of particles from solid-state surfaces by laser bombardment. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,099,557 and 5,024,968, whose disclosures are also incorporated herein by reference, describe methods and apparatus for removing surface contaminants from a substrate by high-energy irradiation. The substrate is irradiated by a laser with sufficient energy to release the particles, while an inert gas flows across the wafer surface to carry away the released particles.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,987,286, whose disclosure is likewise incorporated herein by reference, describes a method and apparatus for removing minute particles (as small as submicron) from a surface to which they are adhered. An energy transfer medium, typically a fluid, is interposed between each particle to be removed and the surface. The medium is irradiated with laser energy and absorbs sufficient energy to cause explosive evaporation, thereby dislodging the particles.
One particularly bothersome type of contamination that is found on semiconductor wafers and lithography masks is residues of photoresist left over from a preceding photolithography step. U.S. Pat. No. 5,114,834, whose disclosure is incorporated herein by reference, describes a process and system for stripping this photoresist using a high-intensity pulsed laser. The laser beam is swept over the entire wafer surface so as to ablate the photoresist. The laser process may also be effected in a reactive atmosphere, using gases such as oxygen, ozone, oxygen compounds, nitrogen trifluoride (NF3), etc., to aid in the decomposition and removal of the photoresist.
Various methods are known in the art for localizing defects on patterned wafers. A summary of these methods is presented in an article entitled xe2x80x9cDefect Detection on Patterned Wafers,xe2x80x9d in Semiconductor International (May 1997), pp. 64-70, which is incorporated herein by reference. There are many patents that describe methods and apparatus for defect localization, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,264,912 and 4,628,531, whose disclosures are incorporated herein by reference. Foreign particles are one type of defects that can be detected using these methods.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,023,424, whose disclosure is incorporated herein by reference, describes a method and apparatus using laser-induced shock waves to dislodge particles from a wafer surface. A particle detector is used to locate the positions of particles on the wafer surface. A laser beam is then focused at a point above the wafer surface near the position of each of the particles, in order to produce gas-borne shock waves with peak pressure gradients sufficient to dislodge and remove the particles. It is noted that the particles are dislodged by the shock wave, rather than vaporized due to absorption of the laser radiation. U.S. Pat. No. 5,023,424 further notes that immersion of the surface in a liquid (as in the above-mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,987,286, for example) is unsuitable for use in removing small numbers of microscopic particles.
Various methods are known in the art of surface contamination control using integrated cleaning. A summary of these methods is presented in an article entitled xe2x80x9cSurface Contamination Control Using Integrated Cleaningxe2x80x9d in Semiconductor International (Jun. 1998), pp. 173-174, which is incorporated herein by reference.
It is an object of some aspects of the present invention to provide methods and apparatus for efficient removal of contaminants from solid-state surfaces, and particularly for removal of microscopic particles from semiconductor wafers and other elements used in semiconductor device production. The wafers may be bare, or they may have layers formed on their surface, whether patterned or unpatterned.
It should be noted that a substrate is henceforth broadly defined as any solid-state surface such as a wafer, which requires at least one contaminant or particle to be removed from its surface. It should be noted further that the word particle is used broadly to define any contaminant or other element, which requires removal from a substrate surface.
It is a further object of some aspects of the present invention to provide improved methods and apparatus for targeted removal of contaminant particles from a surface based on prior localization of the particles.
In preferred embodiments of the present invention, a cleaning module is employed to remove particles from a substrate surface. The cleaning module comprises a moving chuck, on which the substrate is mounted, and a moving optical cleaning arm, positioned over the chuck. The chuck holds the substrate, most preferably by suction, and comprises a motorized system which rotates the chuck about a theta (xcex8) axis or, alternatively, on x-y axes. The moving arm comprises optics, through which electromagnetic radiation, preferably a laser beam, is conveyed and directed onto the substrate to clean the substrate surface. The arm preferably rotates about a phi ("PHgr") axis passing through its base, parallel to but displaced from the xcex8 axis of the chuck. Alternatively, the arm may move on x-y axes. Alternatively, the optical arm may be stationary, and only the chuck moves the substrate so as to place a particle directly under the arm. Similarly, the chuck may be stationary, and only the optical arm moves so as to position itself above a particle on the substrate surface.
The arm motion is preferably coordinated with movement of the moving chuck so that the laser beam can be directed locally at any point on the wafer surface. The cleaning module is connected to an electromagnetic energy source via a radiation guide, which is coupled to convey the energy to the optics of the moving arm. The cleaning module and laser module are herein termed a xe2x80x9cparticle removal unitxe2x80x9d.
In some preferred embodiments of the present invention, the arm further comprises channels for vapor or gas-phase transport to the substrate, and suction systems for transfer of gases and residuals from the substrate surface. In one such embodiment, vapor, preferably water vapor, is conveyed to the substrate via the channels in the cleaning arm. In another such embodiment, vapor such as alcohol, or an alcohol:water mixture, is conveyed via the channels in the cleaning arm. A vapor film is thus deposited onto the substrate, which condenses into a thin liquid film. Subsequently, when the electromagnetic energy impinges on the substrate, the liquid film evaporates explosively, as described, for example, in the above-mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,987,286. The particle residuals and gas-phase matter are then preferably removed via the cleaning arm. The water vapor thus serves two purposes: to dislodge the particle from the substrate surface by explosive evaporation of the liquid, and to cool the substrate surface, so as to minimize damage.
In some preferred embodiments of the present invention, the particle removal unit is connected to a particle localization unit. The particle localization unit preferably provides the particle removal unit with the coordinates of one or more particles. The contaminated area of the substrate is positioned under the cleaning arm by moving both the substrate and the cleaning arm according the coordinates of the particle. Laser energy is conveyed from the electromagnetic energy source, via the energy guide and the cleaning arm, and then targets the particle according to the information received from the particle localization unit. The energy is fired so as to remove the particle from the substrate surface. The particle removal unit lifts the particle, preferably by suction, and conveys it away from the substrate.
In some preferred embodiments of the present invention, the electromagnetic energy source comprises a multi-wavelength laser source. Preferably, the source combines ultraviolet laser radiation and infrared radiation, most preferably from an Optical Parametric Oscillator (OPO).
In some other preferred embodiments of the present invention, a laser source such as an Er:YAG laser (at 2.94 micron wavelength, for example) may be directed directly from the electromagnetic energy source via the optical arm to the substrate.
The different wavelengths are used individually or in combination, in order to match the energies required to remove a specific type of contaminant from a defined solid-state surface. The infrared radiation is preferably used in conjunction with the vapor film described above.
In some preferred embodiments of this invention, the particle removal unit is integrated into a metrology tool, cluster tool, or other process tool for microelectronics fabrication on a semiconductor wafer. Preferably, the cleaning module is connected to other processing units by a clean wafer transfer system. This integration of the cleaning module in the process system is made possible by the novel, compact design of the moving chuck and arm, making the cleaning module far more compact and non-intrusive than laser-based cleaning units known in the art. The proximity of the particle removal unit to a particle localization unit and/or to other process tools enables fast and effective removal of particles without adding a separate cleaning process step. This integrated laser cleaning reduces the amount of inter-step substrate handling, and thus reduces process time and costs and increases process yield.